Page 117 of No Holds Barred

Chapter

Thirty-Seven

“You’re the reason we’re failing!” Mark’s voice boomed through the lobby.

Angelica’s entire spine straightened in an instant. She hadn’t even been near them, but she was shocked to her core when she heard him scream that. She stopped her movement and strolled toward Mark to see who he was even yelling at.

She was unsurprised to find Alexis staring back at him with her jaw dropped. “No, you are! You’re the one who decided to take out a home equity line of credit on the house and put us so far into debt that we can’t even sell the family home to cover the shortages here!”

Oh, this was going to get ugly quick. Angelica set her iPad down on the counter and stayed silent, watching the argument bounce between the two of them as if she wasn’t even there.

“If you’d start holding people accountable instead of letting them walk all over you, then maybe we would have staff who knew what the fuck they were doing.” Mark’s nose wrinkled and his cheeks reddened.

Angelica didn’t actually disagree with him on that one, but she also wasn’t going to call Alexis out on it—at least not yet.

“If you wouldn’t be such a damn bully, no one would be scared to talk to you,” Alexis hissed and jabbed her finger into his chest.

That one was bold. Curious about the nature of their divorce now, Angelica furrowed her brow as she continued to watch. Maybe she’d find out more if she shut up rather than asking direct questions.

“Don’t touch me,” Mark growled.

“Oh, like you haven’t touched or bullied me.” Alexis’s lips pressed into a thin line and she was almost nose-to-nose with him now.

The receptionist stared at them, raised her eyebrows, and then shifted to walk away. Angelica couldn’t blame her at all. If she was in that woman’s shoes, she’d do the exact same thing. Instead, Angelica stayed put. She was only two feet away from them. Surely, they’d notice her and stop. Right?

“Lex, we’ve been through this before.” Mark crossed his arms and straightened his back, putting more space between them.

“You’re right. We have.” Alexis scoffed. “And you still make all of the decisions without me, and look where that lands us. Divorced and broke.”

“All right,” Angelica stepped in finally. She pointed at the two of them. “Office. Now.”

Alexis scowled angrily. But Mark looked pale, as though he’d just been called to the principal’s office. Angelica followed them into the office and shut the door behind them. Once they were settled, cameras in place, and she had the go-ahead nod from Rex, Angelica started.

“What was that all about?”

“She always goes on this rant. At least once a week.” Mark rolled his eyes.

“That’s a lie!” Alexis screeched.

“What I meant was… why are you two arguing in front of employees first, and second in the lobby where literally every single guest can see you and hear you?” Angelica raised an eyebrow at them, expecting an answer.

But she didn’t get one.

For the first time since meeting them, both Alexis and Mark shut up and she was met with shocking silence.

“Let’s try this a different way.” Angelica sighed. “How often do the two of you fight like that in front of employees and guests?”

Still silence.

“I can wait all day. It’s literally what I’m here for.” She crossed her arms and gave each of them a hard stare. She suspected Mark would be the first one to break, but she was absolutely going to sit there and wait them out. Because someone had to break.

“Yes, we do it often,” Alexis admitted.

Angelica said nothing immediately. She let the tense energy that was still electrified sizzle out. Neither Alexis nor Mark seemed inclined to break the silence either, probably because they were finally being called out on something that they should have stopped ages ago.

“How long have you two been divorced?” Angelica asked.

“Ten years,” Alexis responded, her cheeks pale. She refused to make eye contact with Angelica, but she was at least talking. “We separated for two years before that.”